Improvement in railway-rail joinfs



v w. u. HUT-crimson.

Railway-Rail Joints.

Pate-med May 19,1874.-

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without injury to the sleeper or the rail.

rrnn S'r WILLIAM nnnrcnrnson, or WELLESBOURNE, NEAR nrnnronn, ENGLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILWAV='RAIL JOINTS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 115L131, dated May 19,1874 application filed March 16, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM NELsoN HUTGHINSON, of Wellesbourne, nearBideford, in the county of Devon, England, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Railway-Bail Joints; and I do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings-that is to say:

The object of my invention is to produce an improved form ofrailway-rail joint by which a firm connection may be effected betweenthe extremities of rails, which will prevent their hammering or jumpingby the passage of trains, and retain the ends always upon the samelevel; and it consists of a jointchair upon which the contiguous ends ofthe rails are supported, formed with an inclined face, in combinationwith a wedge arranged to enter between the inclined face of the chairand a fish-plate embracing the webs of the rails at the point ofconnection; and, in combination therewith a bar of iron or othermaterial arranged in a groove in the chair or wedge, to retain thelatter in position by its ends being bent, respectively, over the end ofthe chair and wedge the inclined face of the chair being, incross-section, curved or of equivalent form, and the proximate face ofthe wedge of corresponding shape, by which vertical displacement of thewedge is prevented. The object of thepresent invention is to give thefirm continuous connection to the extremities of contiguous rails thatwas and is so much required. It will-be found that by the proposedarrangement both extremities share in supporting the weight of a passingwheel. It is no longer wholly borne by each successively. The unionafforded by the usual fish-plates is combined with the strength given bybeing able to support both extremities on one chair Indeed, thejoint-chair and sleeper are placed under more favorable conditions thanthe others, as the portions of railswhich rest on them (the portions atthe extremities) could be made firmer than the other portions.

The accompanying drawings explain this invention.

Figure 1 is a vertical section, taken in the line LLof Fig.2, throughthe chair G G, the rail It, rectangular fish-plate 1, wooden wedge orkey K, and rod or small bar of galvanizediron fastening, f. The chair isin every respect similar to the one in use on the Southwestern Railwayof England, and others, excepting that the arm G-is, at no increase ofexpense, cast obliquely to the arm G at an angle of about three degrees,(thus forming G intoa fixed wedge,) and has its inner face hollowedcylindrically, with a groove in it for the reception of the bar-of-ironfastening should such fastening f be used and the groove not taken outof the wedge or key. Moreover, this arm is of the same breadth as thesole of the chair, in order to give it a longer grasp of the woodenwedge or key. How much it is cast aslant is shown in Fig. 2.

In ordinary keying the fibers of the wood are necessarily much bruisedby the key being violently driven in, (through rigid parallel planes,)in order that its ends shall so swell as to become a fastening againstthe sides of the chair. The crushing and consequent expansion of thefibers of the wood, which much hastens decay, is avoided by adopting thedouble-wedge plan. The key K, as is more clearly shown in Fig. 2, is awedge sloped to the same angle as the fixed wedge G, and having itssloped face so rounded cylindrically that its convex surface accuratelyfits into the concave in the face of the fixed wedge. This cylindricalcontact of the two wedges keeps the sliding one K always properlyembraced by the heads of the rail and in close contact with its stem,even should it, from any accidental cause, be out of the perpendicular.By the oblique faces of the two wedges being in contact when the slidingwedge is driven forward, (one oblique face acting against the other,) anequal pressure is exerted against the fish-plate throughout the wholelength of the sliding wedge or key K. The key is pushed home by merely aslight blow from a wooden mallet. It is then securely fastened inposition by the small bar of galvanized iron being turned up andhammered close to the side of the chair, as represented in Fig. 2; or itmay be fastened by one or two screws driven in close to the side of thechair into the thin edge of the wedge at S, Fig. 2. After years of wearthe key might require to be further driven in to retighten it, whenfresh screws with a broader head would be driven into the same holes, orfresh holes be made. The threads of the screws would not rust were theydipped in hot beeswax. As the arms of the chair are not subjected to thesevere strain which is usual when keys are driven in, they could be castlighter than is usual. The keys could be made of the hardest,closestgrained wood. As their extremities are not required to swell as afastening, the fibers couldlie at right-angles to instead of runningparallel with the direction of the rail. This arrangement would savewear. The rail R is in every respect similar to the ordinary rail usedon the Southwestern and other English lines, excepting that the headsmeet the stem at nearly at a right angle instead of its being obtuse androunded. The weightis the same, the metal abstracted at the angle beingadded to the swell. P is a rectangular metal fish-plate, of anysubstance or length, and of such a breadth that it is grasped by theheads of the rail. According to the closeness or slackness of thefitting and length and substance of the plate, could any degree ofelasticity or rigidity be given to the portion of the rails near theirextremities. A mechanical fit would make the rail too rigid andinflexible. Under ordinary circumstances the rails would not deflect(from the weight of a passing wheel) to a greater extent than the spacewhich intervenes between the head of the rail and the plate. The railsbeing thus deflected, their heads would then embrace the plate with theclosest contact, and their united strength would be employed in resisting further depression.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section, taken on the line L L, Fig. 1, throughthe chair G G, the extremities of two rails, R R, the rectangularfish-plate P, the wooden wedge or key K, the small bar ofgalvanized-iron fastening, f, and the creeping-bolt 0. The figureclearly shows the angle at which the fixed wedge G and the sliding wedgeK are sloped aslant--say, about three degrees.

ff, a piece of a small bar or rod of galvanized iron, is bent over thethick end of the sliding wedge K. When the wedge is forced home the baris pushed through the groove in the fixed wedge, and the end of the baris raised and hammered against the side of the wedge. Thus the slidingwedge cannot retreat, and when, in the course of years, it requiresretightening,it can, in a moment, be farther driven in, and the end ofthe bar be farther turned up. The groove might be either in the fixedwedge or be taken out of the sliding wedge. At so small an angle asthree degrees, the strain of the wedge to retreat is but trifling.However much it might shrink, the bent arm of the bar round the thickend of the wedge would retain it in position.

Obviously, there are other means by which the sliding wedge, whether ofwood or metal, could be retained in position; but the inventor thinks hehas described the simplest.

a is a loose bolt, passing through a cylindrical hole in the middle ofthe stem of the rail. It prevents the rail from creeping. The head liesin a recess in the fish-plate, which prevents the plate from slippingforward or backward.

In the several figures, which are about half size, the dotted lines markthe outline of the sole of the chair. The circular dotted line marks thehole for the sleeper-bolt.

It is manifest that the method described for fishing is applicable tokeying, the prim cipal difference being that the thickness of thefish-plate is added to the key or sliding wedge.

The system of fishing and keying by the double wedge has this advantage,that in countries where wood is liable to be soon destroyed by whiteants, &c., the keys could be made of metal. When this is done, the armof the chair which forms the fixed wedge might be shorter than is usual,and to further save metal the keys could be hollowed.

It will be seen that the described plan for fishing and keying isapplicable in nearly every particular to single-headed rails. It might,however, in some instances, be advisable to make the cylindrical recessin the fixed wedge somewhat deeper, in order to give a firmer grasp ofthe sliding wedge or key.

It may be observed of the proposed method of fishing and keying, ascompared with other plans, first, that, in fishing, by placing theextremities of two rails on one chair, not only is the greatest supportgiven to the ends of the rail, but fewer sleepers and chairs arerequired; secondly, that the rails are not weakened, as'is generally thecase, by having holes or slots cut in them; on the contrary that muchadditional strength and support is given, and where most required-viz.,at the end of the rails-for all experience shows that the ends are theweakest parts, and those most subject to wear thirdly, that thefish-plates and keys are fastened without bolts with nuts, yet thatunder no reasonable circumstances can they become loosened or displaced;consequently, that they require but little superintendence; fourthly,that should their close fitting, in course of time, become too slack,they could be quickly retightened, and at no expense, by merely drivingthe sliding wedge or key farther in; fifthly, that from the contiguousends of two rails being formed into one rail, great steadiness is givento the joint-chair, and, con sequen tly, great endurance to the sleeper;sixthly, that the system is most economical from its simplicity,durability, facility of ap plication, saving in superintendence, andlittle cost at starting, for the metal required for fish ing but littleexceeds the weight of the two fish-plates, bolts, and nuts usuallyemployed, yet so simple is the arrangement that many keys andfishing-plates could be permanently fixed. in position in less than anhour by one NELsoN HUTOHINsON, have hereunto set my workman. hand andseal this sixteenth (lay of December, I claim as my inventiononethousand eighthundrecl and seventy-three. The improved mode of conneotinrailwayrails by means of a joint-chair, Gr 'G, snp- HUTOHINSON' portingthe ends of the rails in combination Witnesses:

with a secured Wedge, K, and fish-plate P, J. G. GUNN, whereby the endsof the rails are held securely Bideford, Accountant. in place,substantially as herein set forth. Tnos. ANDREW,

In witness whereof I, the said WILLIAM Of Bideford, Attorneys Clerk.

